


Tea and Trauma

by neveralarch



Category: Matthew Swift Series - Kate Griffin
Genre: Gen, The Glass God - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9040910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neveralarch/pseuds/neveralarch
Summary: Sharon, Rhys, and Matthew (the recently reunited Midnight Mayor) take a short break to recover. And drink tea.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shycraft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shycraft/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, Shycraft! Thanks for a really good prompt.
> 
> This is set immediately after _The Glass God_.

After everything was over, Kelly started organizing. It was a very difficult job, organizing, which is why it would be impossible to blame her for losing track a few little things, like the recently reunited Midnight Mayor. Anyway, Sharon had it well in hand.

"Hello?" said Sharon. "Still high and happy to be alive?"

Matthew was shaking, his eyes squeezed shut and his lips moving soundlessly. 

"Hello?" repeated Sharon. "Everything all right?"

Matthew pried one eye open to glance at her, and smiled. It looked awful.

"Rhys!" called Sharon. "Rhys!"

Rhys ran up, out of breath and bleeding gently from the nose. "What's up?"

"Take his arm," said Sharon. "I've got the other side."

"I'm fine," said Matthew.

"Are you?" asked Sharon. "Which you?"

Matthew hunched his shoulders and tipped sideways a little, steadying himself against Rhys.

"Maybe we should get Kelly," said Sharon. But Kelly was busy, as we've already noted, and Sharon really didn't like to disrupt someone's workflow just because their boss was going into shock. "Or—"

"We want tea," said Matthew. "Lots and lots of tea."

"All right," said Sharon and started steering.

\---

Matthew drank tea that was hot enough to burn his tongue, and every sip looked like it was bringing him back to life.

"Do you want a biscuit?" asked Rhys.

"We want," Matthew hesitated, and then gestured helplessly.

"Get him one of everything." Sharon fished some notes out of her pocket and hoped that Kelly would reimburse her.

Once Rhys was dispatched, Sharon reached out a hand and grasped Matthew's own. It gave her a small static shock, but she breathed in and out and slowly Matthew began to match her.

"I remember being alone," he said at last. "And so do we. But neither of us remembered it being so painful."

"I have some pamphlets." Sharon was reminded, as always, of the inadequacy of that word. But she did. "There are groups, you know, if you want to talk—"

"Who would I talk to about this?" Matthew gestured again, the small motion encompassing everything.

"The group, you know, that's what I'm saying." Sharon squeezed his hand. "I think there are a couple for general trauma."

Matthew choked back a laugh. "I think we just want to sit. And drink tea."

Rhys reappeared from the line, bearing a plate with about fifty assorted biscuits and pastries on it.

"And eat," said Matthew. He looked up at Sharon and his smile was a little easier this time, a little more human. "You can have one if you like."

Rhys yawned, and in yawning managed to cram two Jaffa Cakes into his mouth at once.

In about ten minutes, Sharon thought, Kelly was going to finish organizing and start wondering where they were. And then there would be doctors, hopefully, and probably lots of paperwork. But for now they could sit and eat biscuits, and try to recover.

"Thanks," said Sharon. "I think I will."


End file.
